Achilles Heel (band)

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Achilles Heel is a five-piece rock band from the Hudson Valley in New York State. They are well-known for their unique combination of hard rock, funk, pop and psychedelic styles.

Contents 1 History 2 Music and Sound 3 Members 4 Discography

[edit] History

Formed in November of 2004, the founding members of the band were lead singer and guitarist Matt Zazzarino, bassist Dan Loprinzo, guitarist Kevin Costigan, and drummer Rob LaColla. Loprinzo and LaColla contributed backing vocals on early recordings, such as the 'Off the Wall' tapes, named for the local studio in which the demos were recorded. After gaining local ground for roughly a year and a half, LaColla left the band and (current member) Mike Morettoni joined as the new drummer. After only one performance since the change in line-up, the band sought to change their musical direction entirely to pursue a more funk-influenced hard rock sound. They accomplished this by adding (current member) Hunter Gnann on keyboards. Gnann soon found his voice and currently, Zazzarino and Gnann trade lead vocals by song, and on a rare occasion sing dual-lead on the same song.

[edit] Music and Sound

In the early days of the band, their sound comprised of what most described as alternative rock and a retro-rock mentality, with comparisons to JET. The music became increasingly experimental and funky as time passed, and performances from the final months of the Rob LaColla era reveal that the band and the former drummer were very conflicted. He preferred to write music that sounded like pop-punk bands like Green Day and Blink 182, whereas the band became increasingly fond of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and experimental performers of the 1960s and 1970s like Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd. The addition of current drummer Mike Morettoni and Hunter Gnann shortly thereafter is credited with signaling the transition from alternative and radio-friendly rock to their current style.

[edit] Members

• Matt Zazzarino sings lead vocals and plays guitar. He also writes all of the band's lyrics. Founding Member.
• Dan Loprinzo plays bass and sings backing vocals. Founding member.
• Kevin Costigan plays guitar. Founding member.
• Mike Morettoni plays drums and percussion, namely tambourine on the song "Inherit".
• Hunter Gnann sings lead vocals and plays keyboards.

All music is credited to Achilles Heel as a collective. Zazzarino and Costigan both play lead guitar and solos when necessary but Costigan is featured as a soloist more commonly and is popularly referred to as the band's lead guitarist. Zazzarino and Gnann share vocal responsibility and sometimes sing what they refer to as a "dual-lead" - two simultaneous lead vocal performances with natural harmonies of their dissimilar vocal ranges.

[edit] Discography

"Eye of the Beholder" (2007)

1. Vesper Lynd / I'll Be There
2. Astronaut's Bazaar
3. For Icarus
4. Satin Horses
5. I Get Down
6. Anthills
7. Aquamentus
8. Inherit
9. The Thief
10. Lupus de Femme
11. Life on Mute